When Is Mother's Day?
Mother's Day 2027 is on Sunday, May 9 — in 185 days. It is always the second Sunday in May.
Updated · By the YearlyCalendar.org team
Mother's Day honors mothers and motherhood. It has been a national observance on the second Sunday in May since 1914, created after a campaign by Anna Jarvis of West Virginia.
May 2027 calendar
Mother's Day is marked on Sunday, May 9, 2027, along with the other US federal holidays and observances of the month.
- Federal holiday / day off
- Observance
- Weekend
May 2027 – Mother's Day 2027
| Wk | SundaySun | MondayMon | TuesdayTue | WednesdayWed | ThursdayThu | FridayFri | SaturdaySat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | 1 | ||||||
| 18 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5Cinco de Mayo | 6 | 7 | 8 |
| 19 | 9Mother's Day | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 |
| 20 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 |
| 21 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 |
| 22 | 30 | 31Memorial Day |
Mother's Day dates 2020–2040
Between 2020 and 2040, Mother's Day falls as early as May 8 (2022, 2033, 2039) and as late as May 14 (2023, 2028, 2034). It is always a Sunday.
History of Mother's Day
The day grew out of the work of two West Virginia women. During the Civil War, Ann Jarvis ran Mothers' Day Work Clubs that organized public-health projects and nursed soldiers from both sides. After her death in 1905, her daughter Anna Jarvis campaigned for a day honoring all mothers.
The first official service was held on May 10, 1908, at Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church in Grafton, West Virginia, while Anna Jarvis attended a Mother's Day event at the Wanamaker's store in Philadelphia the same day.
Congress designated the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day in a joint resolution approved on May 8, 1914. The next day, May 9, 1914, President Woodrow Wilson issued Proclamation 1268, asking for the flag to be displayed on government buildings and at homes as a public expression of love and reverence for the nation's mothers.
Anna Jarvis and the commercial holiday
Jarvis quickly turned against the commercial side of the day she created. She criticized florists for raising prices before the holiday and objected to printed greeting cards, which she felt replaced personal expressions of thanks. She died on November 24, 1948, in West Chester, Pennsylvania.
What federal law says
- 36 U.S.C. § 117: "The second Sunday in May is Mother's Day." The President is asked to issue a yearly proclamation calling on government officials to display the flag on government buildings and inviting people to fly it at their homes.
- 4 U.S.C. § 6 lists Mother's Day among the days on which the flag should be displayed.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
When is Mother's Day 2028?
Mother's Day 2028 is on Sunday, May 14, 2028.
Is Mother's Day a federal holiday?
No. It is a national observance under 36 U.S.C. § 117 but not one of the 11 legal public holidays in 5 U.S.C. § 6103. Because it always falls on a Sunday, there is no weekday off.
Why are carnations associated with Mother's Day?
Anna Jarvis sent 500 white carnations to the first Mother's Day service in Grafton, West Virginia, in 1908, and the flower became the day's emblem. She later complained that florists raised carnation prices before the holiday.
Is Mother's Day on the same date in other countries?
Not everywhere. Canada and Australia also use the second Sunday in May. The United Kingdom keeps Mothering Sunday on the fourth Sunday of Lent, three weeks before Easter Sunday, and Mexico celebrates Día de las Madres on May 10 every year, whatever the weekday.